When Skye first started SSP, he had his hands in every aspect of each project: He did the sales, project management, client management, technical design, development, deployment, and post-production support. The success of a project was tied directly to the work he did. He could keep a GIS project running, or we wouldn’t be here today.

However, as SSP grew, the number of projects increased. Skye couldn’t run every part of every project any longer. So he hired some really good people who could do that for him, and eventually, his focus shifted from project delivery to leading a growing company.

Avoid Growing Pains

Skye has focused on slow, smart growth. Plenty of businesses hire too many people at once, in order to go after every project possible. Then they watch their performance decline. They chalk this up to “growing pains.” Skye never wanted that.

He has always sought to do things differently. Skye hires the best, not the most. Therefore, we may not have the people to go after every project possible, but we are able to bring the best people to our projects. We never bid an “A Team” only to do a bait-and-switch after the contract is awarded. We take great pride in offering – and delivering – an A Team for every project.  So how does this help to keep a GIS project running smoothly? Does this mean every project will be a smashing success?

No. Some projects struggle. Sometimes there are communication issues. Sometimes there is a misunderstanding on project requirements, or a deliverable that didn’t quite meet expectations. Situations like this are bound to come up in any project-oriented company.  It’s how you react to them, though, that make an okay company a great one. At SSP, there are three things we do in these situations to help keep a GIS project running smoothly:

Three Strategies We Use to Help Keep a GIS Project Running

1. Understand the Problem.

This is an important first step: Ask yourself, “What went wrong?” Ask others. Get a variety of perspectives so you arrive at a complete understanding of what transpired. For example, did a deliverable fail to meet the requirements? Or were the requirements not clearly stated from the beginning? In many cases, we have found that a solution can be developed when the teams just sit down to talk about what wrong. The project managers are empowered to make these kinds of project-level fixes. They can do what’s needed to ensure the project gets back on track.

Once we understand the issue, we then want to know whether this was a one-time misunderstanding, or perhaps a symptom of something bigger. If there is a problem that has caught everyone off guard, we want to investigate what happened, and how it can be avoided in the future.

2. Bring in Extra Resources.

Occasionally, additional resources are needed. For example, a deliverable may be significantly behind schedule. This is when we can bring in others to assist. The project manager will coordinate with SSP’s account executives (usually Dean Perry or David Blodgett) and our Director of Operations, Dennise Ramirez. Dennise coordinates all members of our delivery team, and she will work with the project manager and account executive to both understand the problem and then identify the resources who can help. This is a delicate juggling act, and one Dennise does very well. We don’t want to hamper existing work, so she finds ways to bring in additional staff to assist with the least amount of impact to other projects. This way we not only keep a GIS project running itself, but we also better manage all GIS projects.

3. Bring in the Leadership Team.

Sometimes a problem goes way beyond a simple resolution. That is where the SSP leadership and account management teams come in. For most projects, the account management team built the original scope of work (SOW) and project schedule, so they have a good understanding of what needs to be done and when. And because of that, they often have insight into how to address a particular issue. The leadership team provides oversight to ensure that the project team is working effectively with the customer toward a resolution.  The success of every project is very important to the entire SSP team, as is the long-term relationship with the client, so we will do whatever it takes to make it right.

No Project is Perfect. Take Each One in Stride

We have learned over the years that no project is perfect. And even some of our best people will struggle on occasion. But know that we are all committed to the success of each project we undertake, and we will do whatever it takes to continue doing good quality work. At SSP, our main goal is to keep a GIS project running to our client satisfaction — which is exactly the way Skye started this business.

Interested in learning more about how SSP manages projects? Contact us.